10 WWE PPVs That Couldn't Follow Their Opening Match

4. Bragging Rights 2010 - Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler

Without it's opening match, Bragging Rights 2010 could have been one of the most frustrating PPVs of the modern era. It still makes for pretty infuriating viewing regardless; John Cena's tedious angle as a reluctant member of the Nexus casts a long shadow over both the tag title and WWE Championship match, causing the latter to end via DQ; the traditional Raw vs. SmackDown tag bout stretches on for an eternity; and the Brothers of Destruction put on a torturous Buried Alive clash (do they ever have good matches together?) While many events on this list can be seen as victims of their opening matches, never able to live up to the high expectations set at the beginning of the show, Bragging Rights 2010 was saved by its curtain-jerker - no question about it. Without Dolph Ziggler vs. Daniel Bryan, it would have absolutely no saving grace; instead, it's remembered as the site of a 2010 Match of the Year candidate. The fact that the pair put on a fantastic match should come as no surprise. They simply went out and did their thing - fantastic chain-wrestling, suspenseful submission sequences, displays of incredible agility, and flawless selling throughout. Bryan picked up the win with a LaBell Lock, and cemented himself as the next big thing in WWE. Had Shawn Michaels and Undertaker not blown the roof off at WrestleMania 26, this could well have been the best match of 2010.